Reviewed by USGSIndonesia21y ago
M4.6 earthquake 277 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Monday, May 9, 2005, 19:30:17 UTC · 4.217°N, 93.204°E
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 277 km WSW of Banda Aceh, Indonesia on Monday, May 9, 2005, 19:30:17 UTC, at a depth of 29.5 km (shallow). It is the strongest earthquake within 300 km since an M4.7 on May 9, 2005.
- Magnitude
- 4.6
- Light · mb
- Depth
- 30 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquake
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
120 tons of TNT
That is about 1/126 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 4 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
22 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the Burma and Indian plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
30 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS has not published any M2.5+ earthquake within 50 km in the 30 days after this event.
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 284 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.5209 km WSW of Sinabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1969 · 284 km SE of this epicenter
- 7.0190 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaMay 17, 1955 · 300 km N of this epicenter
- 6.975 km WSW of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaAugust 23, 1936 · 204 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.95 km W of Banda Aceh, IndonesiaApril 2, 1964 · 273 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.968 km WSW of Sabang, IndonesiaApril 4, 1983 · 237 km NE of this epicenter
- 6.7171 km W of Meulaboh, IndonesiaDecember 9, 1929 · 153 km E of this epicenter
- 6.7off the west coast of northern SumatraJanuary 1, 2005 · 140 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.5253 km WNW of Sabang, IndonesiaNovember 21, 1907 · 259 km N of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 11 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 9 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1936M7.3
Banda Aceh,Lhok Sukon,Lhoksemawe
23 Aug 1936 · 267 km away · intensity VIII
9 deathsModerate damage ($1–5M)tsunami
- 1983M6.6
Sumatera: Banda Aceh
4 Apr 1983 · 237 km away · intensity VII
$1 million damage
- 1969M7.7
Off Nw Coast Sumatera
21 Nov 1969 · 282 km away
- 1955M7.3
Little Nicobar Island
17 May 1955 · 269 km away
tsunami
- 1949M6.7
Banda Aceh
9 May 1949 · 217 km away
tsunami
- 1935M6.5
Celebes Sea
25 Nov 1935 · 168 km away
tsunami
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.